Banter

Kentucky Barrel Pick Trip Recap – Day 2

Lux Row Distillers is a new distillery, having had their whiskeys contract-distilled for over 40 years. We pulled up on a cloudy day, but the distillery site was still gorgeous. The location is prime bourbon real estate, in Bardstown.

Banter

Kentucky Barrel Pick Trip Recap – Day 1

Almost two years to the day after the B&B team traveled to Kentucky to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of Bourbon & Banter, we got the band back together to do it again. There were a few team members that were able to make the trip again and there were some new faces that were able to join.

Rum Reviews

Papa’s Pilar Marquesas Blended Rum Review

I don’t drink a huge amount of rum but have on occasion had the opportunity to try a number of high-end pours. I would put this rum in that category.

Blended Whiskey Reviews

Broken Barrel Whiskey Single Oak Series Review

I intentionally didn’t read about these whiskies before trying them and logging my tasting notes. I’m generally skeptical of “new techniques” and certainly skeptical of producers in Southern California.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Remus Volstead Reserve Bourbon Review

The first time I smelled my sample of Remus Volstead Reserve, I thought my nose had gone wrong. What I was smelling just didn’t compute in my brain. I took a walk to settle my mind and tried again. Same thing.

Scotch Whisky Reviews

Auchentoshan “The Bartender’s Malt” Scotch Review

If you’re not a Scotch fan because things like peat or band-aid qualities turn you off, you really should consider a Lowland Scotch. There aren’t a lot of Lowland distilleries, and in my opinion, Auchentoshan does a consistent job of representing the region.

Gin Reviews

Wonderbird Spirits Gin Review

This gin would be excellent sipped with an ice cube and a lemon peel expressed over the top. With its heavy lemon notes, it goes very well with anything peppery or lemony. I tried it neat, on ice, and in a gin and tonic with a few pink peppercorns.

Drink News

Heaven’s Door Spirits Announces the Inaugural Release of The Bootleg Series

Heaven’s Door™ Spirits, which produces an ever-evolving collection of American whiskeys in collaboration with Bob Dylan, announces the first expression of its limited edition Bootleg Series, a rare 26-year old whisky finished in Japanese Mizunara.

Events

Bourbon & Beyond 2019 Recap

Bourbon, Music, Food, Panel Discussions, and People Watching – what a great way to spend the final three days of the lunar summer. The third annual Bourbon and Beyond, the second of three music festivals in the Louisville TriFesta series produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, was a resounding success.

Drinking Accessory Reviews

The Bourbon Advent Calendar Review

Opening the Advent Calendar is a tradition my wife Patti and I have followed for many years. A fun way to count the days leading up to Christmas, we open one door on the calendar every day in December.

Banter

The Redo: Russell’s Reserve Barrel Pick

Two years ago, almost exactly to the day, the Bourbon & Banter team descended upon Louisville for our anniversary barrel pick trip. While we toured a lot of great places, the main focus of picking a private barrel of Russell’s Reserve – one of my favorite bourbons.

Flavored Whiskey Reviews

Root Out Root Beer Flavored Whisky Review

There are times, as a whiskey reviewer, when I just feel badly writing the review. My intention when reviewing a bad product is to not be unnecessarily mean or vicious.

Scotch Whisky News

Chivas Regal Mizunara Special Edition Review

While this, to me, is a poor man’s Japanese Harmony (which I also reviewed for Bourbon and Banter), it is not without its intrigue.

Rye Whiskey News

Elijah Craig Launches Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

Elijah Craig, a leading premium Kentucky Bourbon, today announced the launch of Elijah Craig Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey. The line extension affords experimenting whiskey fans the opportunity to challenge their palates with a new extra-aged Rye offering from the award-winning Elijah Craig family.

Banter

2019 Bourbon Heritage Month Winners

It’s been almost three weeks since we closed out Bourbon Heritage Month 2019 and I’m finally starting to recover. As part of that recovery process I’m happy to report that we got all of the Bourbon & Banter issued prizes packed up today, and they will be shipping out on Monday, October 21st.

Tequila Reviews

Alacrán Tequila Blanco Review and Tasting Notes

I am not a tequila drinker. I’ve penned a tequila review before and it bordered on fairly useless. I’m a whiskey reviewer. That’s my jam. However, my wife, Michelle (a/k/a Mrs. Whiskeyfellow), is a tequila sommelier.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Old Soul Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey Review

I found Old Soul Bourbon to be an interesting addition to the craft market. A nice mix of creaminess and spice with just a hint of that young dough taste you get with a young craft bourbon. The taste is also helped by a little air in the bottle over a couple weeks.

Bottled Cocktails

Old Fashioned from Watershed Distillery Review

Ask 20 different people to make you an Old Fashioned and you’ll likely get 20 different variations of this classic cocktail. While it has very few ingredients, the options within those basic ingredients can vary widely.

Banter

Redefining Bourbon Appreciation

A few months back, I shared details about a trip to visit Davis Valley Distillery in the Blue Hills of Southwestern Virginia. Davis is an emerging player in the contract distillation space offering consistent quality sourcing of bulk American Whiskeys primarily, as well as Vodka and moonshine.

Rye Whiskey Reviews

Blaum Bros. Straight Rye Review

The Blaum Brothers message of quality and authenticity comes through on this product. The smoked malt adds to the complexity and a full four years in the barrel, not overly common in ryes is evident in the taste.

Banter

And Just Like That…Bourbon Heritage Month 2019 Is Over

Blame it on the #30DaysOfBourbon Challenge or the excitement of giving away bourbon prizes to bourbon-loving folks across the country, but I can’t believe that Bourbon Heritage Month 2019 is over. I mean, who the hell invited October to the party?

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Fern Creek Single Barrel Proof Bourbon Review

All single barrels are bottled straight from the barrel without chill filtering. No barrel will taste exactly the same. This bourbon is good to savor on the weekend due to its high proof; avoid making important plans when drinking this bourbon.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Fern Creek Small Batch Bourbon Review

This bourbon is a batch of selected barrels generally bottled at 100 proof. Great for daily sipping after a hard days work. Drink it straight, on the rocks, or mixed into your favorite bourbon cocktail.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Blaum Bros. Straight Bourbon Review

In the press release they say their goal was to produce a “legit and bonafide bourbon whiskey”, which may sound like a modest goal. Having tasted my share of craft bourbons, I will say it is no easy thing. I believe they accomplished their goal.

Bourbon Whiskey Reviews

Watershed Bourbon Review

From the initial pop of the ‘cork’, an enticing spicy sweetness rushed from the bottle like a newly awoken genie. I have the word cork in quotes because it’s not an actual cork.